Improving Writing Skills of Construction Management Undergraduates: Developing Tools for Empirical Analysis of Writing to Create Writing-Enriched Construction Management Curriculum

Abstract

In 2011, the University of Minnesota’s Construction Management (CM) program received funding from the Writing Enriched Curriculum (WEC) project. WEC operationalizes the University’s commitment supporting integration of effective discipline-relevant writing instruction. Funding, collaboration with members of the WEC team, and technical support enabled the assembly of a comprehensive, multi-year plan to examine and improve CM student writing. Because many, if not all, elements of the WEC process may prove portable to other institutional contexts, this article describes the process of creating, implementing, and assessing the faculty-authored CM Writing Plan. Specifically discussed are the initial stages of a multi-year process including the development of a Writing Plan; the first year course mapping; analysis of writing assigned in CM courses; and work the department will do going forward with WEC.